Chronicle Careers: 1/30/2006: Playing Philanthropist: "Playing Philanthropist
By Mark J. Drozdowski
The Fund Raiser
As fund raisers, we think about it all the time: What would it be like to give away money, to be a philanthropist?
We fantasize about donating large sums -- or at least of having large sums to donate -- and we dedicate countless brain cells to figuring out what motivates people to give. Every time the lottery jackpot swells high enough to justify playing, my wife and I concoct plans to fling millions at our family members (after buying the beach house and the Ferrari). That's about as close as I get.
Until this past holiday season. Just before Christmas I was persuaded to join a staff-driven effort to supply needy families with food, presents for children, and various other forms of holiday cheer. Everyone in my office pitched in some bucks, and a few of us volunteered to deliver the goods.
So I spent an afternoon riding around the poorest neighborhoods in our city, visiting tenements I would describe as unlivable. But of course people lived there. The apartments were uniformly dirty and decrepit. Most were devoid of creature comforts, while some contained no real furniture. Many lac"
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